Re: Key attributes with list values was Re: What are the differences ...KEY
From: Marshall Spight <marshall.spight_at_gmail.com>
Date: 27 Feb 2006 09:03:24 -0800
Message-ID: <1141059804.032864.75670_at_e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>
> With those propositions, how do you make sure that the DBMS is aware of the
> fact that Jane Harper and Jane Smith are the same entity?
Date: 27 Feb 2006 09:03:24 -0800
Message-ID: <1141059804.032864.75670_at_e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>
Anith Sen wrote:
>
> With those propositions, how do you make sure that the DBMS is aware of the
> fact that Jane Harper and Jane Smith are the same entity?
With those propositions, you can't, of course. Declaring name as the key is declaring that two people with the same name *are* the same person. Or perhaps more accurately, a table with person-names as the key is a table of names, not a table of people. Since names can't have a marital status, trying to map the table's attributes back to the real world breaks down.
Marshall Received on Mon Feb 27 2006 - 18:03:24 CET